A 2nd American F1 Team Being Formed
According a report Thursday 2 American investors are close to buying an F1 team of their own.
The prospect is reportedly being looked into by New York financier James Carney and Tavo Hellmund. F1 insiders know that Mr. Hellmund is the force behind Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, the United States Grand Prix held there, and the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix.
Together, Messrs Carney and Hellmund are said to be close to a deal on a race team yet to be disclosed, sources point toward Manor as the most likely candidate. The struggling team, formerly known as Virgin and then as Marussia has had a particularly tough go of it lately, scoring its first championship points last season before dropping off the grid after driver Jules Bianchi’s devastating crash last October in at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The other US F1 team has been started by machinery mogul and NASCAR team owner Gene Haas.
Team Haas’ F1 set to join the grid next season as an expansion team, aided by a technical partnership with Ferrari and based out of the Manor/Marussia team’s former HQ in Banburry, England.
Team Haas has yet to announce which drivers it will retain for next year, but speculation points towards a potential American driver like Alexander Rossi, who dominated Formula BMW earlier in his career, has tested in F1 on 6 occasions, and currently competes in GP2, where he sits 2nd in the standings.
The last American team to compete in F1 was called Lola Haas, but bore no relation to Gene Haas or his companies. The last American driver to compete in F1 was Scott Speed, who drove for Toro Rosso in Ys 2006 and 2007, represented the United States in the A1GP series, and has since been competing in NASCAR, rally-cross, and other disciplines.
Stay tuned…
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Paul Ebleing
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